Anyone else get the idea that the scene when they met on the train, they were falling in love with one another, and Dito really loved Mike?
I thought that's what was happening, but then the movie didn't really go into any further detail about their relationship...
the way that scene was shot, I thought that maybe something romantic was going on, too.
sharei wouldnt necessarily go so far as to say it was romantic
but i do like the way the portrayed the kids planning out what they were going to say in their heads and then hearing them verbally convey their thoughts.
Its just two guys tentativley meeting eachother pretty realistic i think its awkward for everybody the first time you meet somebody you want to be freinds with.
I agree with BuzzGUy - I think the scene captured perfectly how a lot of amazing relationships start awkwardly. I dont think it was romantic, but it was passionate in the way that they both wanted the same thing. The scene connected them before they even knew of the connections between them.
sharei think that the start of their relationship was romanticized because it's dito's first experience with a more conversational and expressive friendship. no one else really let him talk the way he wanted to without calling him crazy afterwards.
shareI think that there was a certain intensity portrayed in their relationship. I don't think it implies anything more than how deeply Dito's life was touched by this person unlike any he'd known. I think it is only natural that the connection was magnified by the swiftness with which this new influence was taken from him. In the 'alternate endings' section of the dvd, if you watch the ending titled "I Write" there is a line that sums it up perfectly........."I write because Mike O'Shea called me his friend. And before that there were no words."
share"I write because Mike O'Shea called me his friend. And before that there were no words."
Think they chose to remove that line because it would have been too homoerotic?
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- You can't prove it.
- I can disprove the opposite.
It wasn't love so much as it was a twisted mirror, Mike was a pretty cool kid who didn't need to kick trash cans, drink, etc ... and he was interested in writing and going to Cali, so it showed Dito that there was another way to live his life and still be cool.
On the flipside, the initial outburst from Antonio seemed odd and it seemed as though he (antonio) felt he was being accused or regarded as being 'in love' with Dito. Plus he was especially sensitive to the whole 'do you care about me' aspect due to the fact his brother died just because he couldn't tell him - I care about you. Sad.
"El riesgo vive siempre!"
I really interpreted it that way, too. The train scene was incredibly romantic and sweet. If any of them had been a girl, I'm sure that's where the story would have gone.
shareI think you guys who think there was something "romantic" going on between Mike and Dito when they first met are blurring the lines between homosexual and homosocial relationships between guys. They clicked on the intellectual levels and Dito realized he found someone who wanted what he wanted - life beyond Astoria. They were a bit nervous meeting someone unlike people they were used to - Dito with Antonio, Nerf, etc. And then to click on that level. Even if one of them were a girl, guys can still click with girls and not have it result in a romantic relationship. I believe the term is called "friends."
And Antonio's outburst on the rooftop when Dito introduced Mike to the others was the result of feeling threatened by Mike. As far as Antonio was concerned, Dito was his best friend, and Antonio thought he was being replaced. And in this replacement, he'd lose the paternal relationship with Dito's dad. He wasn't going to risk that and would drive out anyone threatening that in the only way he knew how - dominance.
As a previous poster had stated, Mike was the first person Dito had met who didn't call him nuts for wanting to leave Astoria. Everyone he knew didn't mind it there (or so they said) and didn't understand why Dito didn't feel the same. Mike was the first person who really listened to Dito and understood him. Mike showed Dito a way out. From my own experience, those are the kinds of friends you keep, cherish, and never forget.
When religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows. - Irulan
Even if one of them were a girl, guys can still click with girls and not have it result in a romantic relationship.
I agree. And guys can click with guys and HAVE it result in a romantic relationship, as well. Don't be dim. What we're suggesting isn't exactly far-fetched. Saying it was romantic doesn't taint the relationship.
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- You can't prove it.
- I can disprove the opposite.
my original post that started this thread was just after I saw the movie, and that was a scene I was just a little puzzled about, and wondered if anyone else had gotten that same feeling from the train scene as I.
It was nice to see that others know what I'm talking about, it was presented in a kinda romantic way, but...
having said that, after posting this a LONG time ago, I did research into the read Dito and he doesn't have an inclination of gayness to him at all
I wasn't trying to say that was what was literally happening, it was just the way it seemed in the movie.
Yeah, but in the director's cut they get it ON! In the bushes out on Coney Island, no less!
shareI didn't get that vibe so much as that they were like a meeting of souls. They wanted similar things out of life and neither was getting it. So for the first time they found another character they could relate to, that's the only vibe I got from them...an intensity.
.strange.
I think Maxdome is right on about the relationship. Mike was a gateway to the cerebral for Dito. He started his first day of class off by reading a poem. He pointed to the dot on the subway train window and waxed poetic. This was a hole different approach to the world. Everyone in Dito's life up until then were "salt of the earth" - shout at the world type characters. Deep down Dito was an artist at heart and that requires exploring the details and nuances. Having grown up in a working class urban family, being sensitive often made people nervous. Introspection in that milieu did not jive with masculinity, so I guess I understand how the original poster could jump to such a conclusion. But I think they are mistaken.
shareI think you just expressed it perfectly MaxDome. Thanks.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die. Amelia Burr
I read every reply before I made my point. I am gay and I read homo tendencies into their relationship, based on the fact that at one point in the movie Dito makes a comment to one of his buddies that they won't tell the secret. At this late date I cannot be certain that I am not taking the line out of context, but that was the lay of the land from this queer's eye.
Personally, I don't care if they were gay or not. It does not impact the story, which was beautifully acted by all cast.
That scene was shot like that because he was a writer and meeting mike had a great impact on him. I think Dito was so fond of him because he saw something good in him he wasn't affected by the surroundings and it was like a relief to be around him because he was a good person and could in turn make him a good person he had a yearning to leave the area and he thought he could help which he did if that makes sense.
shareTheir meetup on the train was definitely filmed in a romantic style. I've said this before, but i think of it as almost the "first blush" of friendship (not unlike the first blush of love).
Those of us who are interpreting the scene (and Ditto's relationship overall with Mike) are drawing that impression from good intentions. Associating their way with eachother as "love" does not (and should not) lessen it.
I loved Mike--so gentle and open about his feelings.
Oh no, I didn't at all think it was love-love. This film was made in a rather unique way and it was more European-like, so the style of filming may have given it a slower-paced mood appreciative of real life which most audiences are not used to.
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Yeah, and they were hanging around with that gay dog walker..
I think someone needs to cut up some footage and make a gay teen romance trailer. Hahahaha.